Ensuring e-commerce uptime

Customers today expect around-the-clock access to online shops. Abandoned transactions, lost sales and reputational damage are just a few of the consequences resulting from just a brief period of downtime. What is more, these consequences are not just brought on by hard downtime, meaning complete outages, but soft downtime too. Soft downtime refers to issues that impact customer experience but don’t completely disable the site, such as slow page loading or broken functions.

When a platform becomes unresponsive or goes offline altogether, customers rarely wait. Instead, they turn to a competitor for the convenience of immediate availability.

The cost of poor connection

WebSitePulse reports that even a two-second delay in page loading is enough to drive half of users to leave the site. And the financial impact of this is severe. A Forrester Consulting survey revealed that 88 per cent of e-commerce decision-makers estimated losing over $100,000 or approximately £74,600 due to internet disruptions in the month prior to the survey.

These losses are often preventable as many businesses are still using infrastructure that was never designed to support the fast-paced e-commerce industry.

In particular, businesses still relying on broadband enabled by the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) are at higher risk for downtime. The PSTN’s copper-wire infrastructure is already prone to faults and is due to be fully retired in January 2027. This deadline is coming up quickly, meaning now is the time for online retailers to review their internet setup and consider a more reliable solution for their customers.

Building resilient connectivity

If e-commerce businesses want to avoid losing revenue to abandoned baskets, they need to invest in dependable connectivity.

Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) is one of the fastest and most reliable types of broadband. Unlike Fibre to the Cabinet (FTTC), FTTP doesn’t use copper cabling at all. It instead creates a direct fibre optic connection between the provider and the property. This grants faster download and upload speeds but also better protection against outages, making it a strong first line of defence against both hard and soft downtime.

However, even the best primary connection benefits from backup and 4G and 5G routers are an effective way to build resilience. If the main connection fails, mobile routers automatically switch on to make sure that the internet connection stays stable. 5G routers can also act as a primary internet source, particularly in locations where fixed-line coverage is limited or fibre installation is delayed.

Securing quality customer service

Beyond just maintaining a reliable and easily browsable online shop, connectivity is crucial to the overall customer experience, especially when it comes to fast, effective customer service. In Salesforce’s State of the AI Connected Customer report, 43 per cent of respondents stated poor customer service was the reason they stopped buying from a brand. This shows just how important responsive customer support is to the shopping experience and, in turn, how important it should be to online retailers.

A contributing factor to delivering quality customer service is access to a reliable phone system. Cloud-based telephony is one method to accomplish this. Cloud-based solutions are hosted in secure off-site data centres and run over the internet, in contrast to traditional phone systems. Because of this, they are far more dependable during times of sudden disruption or high demand. These systems assist businesses in maintaining consistent customer communication by offering built-in failover options and clear call quality.

Connectivity is the backbone of the online customer’s experience. Consequently, businesses need to prioritise infrastructure that keeps pace with customer demands for faster loading times and more responsive customer support. With solutions such as FTTP, 5G backup and cloud-based telephony, online retailers can build a more resilient setup that supports both sales and service, even during peak demand.

Crystaline offers a range of connectivity services. To find out how we can help you strengthen your connectivity strategy, get in touch for a free consultation.